Tag: Las Vegas

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2012 Las Vegas Pride Festival

GREAT time at Las Vegas Pride Festival yesterday.

Michael and I spent time browsing the booths with our friends Alex and Gordon, watched a LOT of the entertainment on the big stage (including best bro Matt Zarley singing his opening song above).  The big stage was hosted by Las Vegas’ favorite news anchor Chris Saldana from Channel 8 News and then Jaymes Vaughan of the Chippendales (and soon to be on The Amazing Race).

Vegas Pride continues to get better and better each year.  Better entertainment, better management of a huge event, and great fun.  You see soooo many people you miss throughout the year, and it’s a really healthy, friendly environment.

I love the folks dancing in the Matt Zarley video above.  I tried to get a bit of the crowd to show how full the lawn was in front of the big stage.  And this was early in the evening – about 6:30. 

Round of applause to everyone at Southern Nevada Association of Pride Inc.

(btw – sorry for the weird camera work.  YouTube said it would “fix” my shaky camera work, and it’s kinda funky…  But you get the idea).

Me, Gordon, Jaymes, Michael, Chris, Alex at 2012 Las Vegas Pride Festival

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Las Vegas 2012 Pride Parade

Had a great time at the Las Vegas 2012 Pride Parade last night.

Started out the evening watching LGBT idols/allies Kathy Griffin, Joan Rivers and Margaret Cho make an appearance TOGETHER to officially start the parade. Since all three also love hunky men, they took pics with two of the world famous Chippendales.

Then headed down to watch the parade from the telecast booth mid-parade. For several years, Cox Cable has generously broadcast the parade on their channel 96. If you missed the parade, it will be available online at www.cox96.net. Or catch one of many rebroadcasts on Cox Channel 96 in Las Vegas at 8pm on September 17, 20, 23, 30 and October 4 or 6.

And what’s Pride without friends? Our ‘partners in crime’ Gordon & Alex joined us for the festivities.

Off today for the Pride Festival. Great day in Vegas – get your Pride on!

Chippendales Gavin McHale and Bryan Cheatham with Kathy Griffin,
Joan Rivers and Margaret Cho at the start of the Las Vegas Pride Parade 2012

Billboard recording artist Matt Zarley and Las Vegas news anchor Chris Saldana
prepare to host the telecast of the Las Vegas 2012 Pride Parade

Enjoying the parade with friends Gordon (L) and Alex (R)

Matt Zarley and Chris hosting the parade telecast

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This weekend – Las Vegas Gay Pride events!

It’s Gay Pride Weekend in Las Vegas!

Lots to do, so get out there and take advantage of the many events to attend and share with your friends and family!

Here’s a list of things to do this weekend:

The Gay Days Las Vegas Expo at the Tropicana Hotel Conference Center
Located in the Gay Days Host Hotel, offers an exceptional opportunity for Gay Days attendees to view and sample goods and services specifically targeting our community during their vacation. It is also perfect for locals to come and enjoy this Expo as part of Las Vegas’s newest Gay Days celebration.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday September 7th, 8th, 9th
11am-6pm – Free admission

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Gay Days Pool Party – at Tropicana Hotel Bagatelle Beach Club
Voted the “Best Las Vegas Pool” and set on almost two acres, Gay Days guests can experience the ambiance and bask in the glowing reflection of a tropical pool right in the heart of Las Vegas. With a bright, tropical setting that embodies the vibrancy of the Tropicana resort’s South Beach-inspired theme, the pool features an expansive deck with lush landscaping, waterfalls and private lounge spots.

Lounge poolside on luxurious recliners, or relax within several connected lagoons that provide the ideal place to refresh in the water. The pool also premiers a number of exclusive cabanas

Friday, Saturday & Sunday September 7th, 8th, 9th
Noon – 6pm

$15 Advance Purchase
$20 at the Door

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Las Vegas Gay Pride Parade
Friday, September 7th
Pre-show begins at 7pm
Parade begins at 8pm
The parade route begins at West Charleston Blvd. and heads north along 4th Street to Ogden Avenue. Secure your spot where the action happens early. The main stage is at Bridger Avenue just two blocks south of the Fremont Street Experience.

This year Cox Cable is proud to support Southern Nevada’s GLBT community as the official broadcast partner of the PRIDE Night Parade. Watch the parade LIVE on September 7th from 8pm – 10pm on Cox Channel 96 or online at www.cox96.net. Plus, there will be many rebroadcasts on Cox Channel 96 at 8pm on September 17, 20, 23, 30 and October 4 or 6.

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Las Vegas Gay Pride Festival
Saturday, September 8th
From Noon – 10pm
The Clark County Amphitheater features a beautiful outdoor main stage surrounded by soft, cool grass, plus a food court and convenient drink stations. There will be more than 100 exhibitors on site. You can relax on the lawn as you are entertained by the festival’s featured performers, as well as great local talent. Watch for more expansions to the festival grounds (and overflow parking at the World Market Center with free shuttle service to the festival). Pride organizers are pleased to announce the expansion of the Family Activity Zone filled with fun activities for parents and children 12 and under.

Bartenders from local GLBT bars will be will be serving water, soda, Bud/Bud Light, wine, and mixed drinks to whet your thirst. We have expanded our food court this year so you will have even more great food from which to choose.

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A Taste of Gay Days – at Tropicana Hotel Club Tower
A perfect evening event to mingle with friends while sampling beers, wines, spirits & food.

This event is 21+ Age Restricted.
Proper ID Required.

Saturday, September 8th
6 – 10pm

$25 Advance Purchase
$30 at the Door

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Gay Days Official Closing Party – Tropicana Hotel Bagatelle Beach Club
As the sun sets over the city, re-energize with cocktails served to blissed-out beats. Come nightfall, lose yourself to the music at this exclusive, full-service nightclub.

Sunday, September 9th
10pm

$20 Advance Purchase
$30 at the Door

For complete info on all the events this weekend, visit the official website for Las Vegas Pride.

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Las Vegas: 3rd Annual Pedal to the Medal – Saturday, September 8th

It’s going to be a gorgeous sunny day in Vegas tomorrow, so why not go bike riding for a great cause?

Sponsored by Gaudin Porsche, the 3rd Annual Pedal to the Medal event to support the Special Olympics Nevada will take place on Saturday, September 8, 2012.  Riders have the choice of a 25-mile or 50-mile ride.

100 percent of registration fees to benefit Special Olympics Nevada.

In addition to the bike rides, the event will also feature a free bike rodeo for rider’s family and friends. The bike rodeo will offer children and those with special needs the chance to learn safe riding practices and try out different types of bikes including adapted cycles for disabled riders.

Registration for Pedal to the Medal is $45. The registration fee includes a fully supported ride, event tee shirt, lunch, rider swag bag and a timing chip for participants riding the 50-mile course.

Participants can register to ride at www.PedalToTheMedalLasVegas.com.

Here’s the details:

When: Saturday, September 8, 2012
50-mile ride starts at 7 a.m.
25-mile ride starts at 8 a.m.

Where: West Career and Tech Academy
11945 West Charleston
Las Vegas, NV 89135

Facebook: Special Olympics Nevada
Twitter: @SONevada

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Las Vegas: Family Pride Skate Night – Sept 3

Hey Las Vegas!  Good, clean family fun at Pride Family Skate Night at Crystal Palace – Monday, September 3 from 6-10pm.

Great event that helps kick off Pride Week 2012 in Las Vegas.

Click on the pic above for larger view or go to LasVegasPride.org for more events this week.

More Pride Week Events…

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Review: WICKED at The Smith Center

Act One finale of WICKED – photo by Joan Marcus

The Smith Center has hit another home run with the 6 week run of the national touring company of WICKED, now through October 7.

This production offers first class talent and extraordinary production values that make for a roller coaster ride of an evening in the theater. From laughs to touching moments of unlikely friendship to the soaring anthem of newly discovered inner courage – WICKED delivers.

The musical is based on the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire, a book that cleverly imagines the back story leading up to a tornado that sends Dorothy on a trip from Kansas to Oz. During this election year, it is timely in that it is filled with truths about the nature of political power and mass manipulation.

Nicole Parker hits a home run as “Elphaba” — the Wicked Witch of the West. Having played the role on Broadway, Parker’s experience shows in her soaring vocals which makes the Stephen Schwartz score sound almost easy to sing (it’s not.) Her first big song – “Wizard and I” – immediately lets the audience know that the difficult vocals will be no problem for Parker. And her Act One roof raiser – “Defying Gravity” – is top-notch. Plus she is very comfortable with playing not only the dark side of the role but the humorous moments, too.

Patti Murin’s “Glinda, the good witch” brings a lot of lightness and pop to the evening. She starts out the evening with an approach that is less showy than I’ve seen, but grows considerably by Act Two.

Also strong were Tom McGowan as the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, and Demaree Hill as the Wicked Witch’s sister “Nessarose,” whose big scene in the second act was one of the best performances of the role I’ve seen.

My one small reservation was that there were moments when the performances by the ensemble cast felt a bit phoned in, as if they’ve been doing this for a quite a while. Physical energy was dropped while exiting, and some choreography wasn’t as clean as it could have been.

With vividly imaginative scenic designs by Eugene Lee, Susan Hilferty’s quirky costumes that blend high style and fantasy and gorgeous lighting by Kenneth Posner, the show is fantastic to look at. Supporting all the terrific stage architecture on display is a powerful story of peer pressure, prejudice and even hints of racism in an immediately recognizable story. Joe Mantello’s resourceful and inventive direction brings the evening to life in a manner that still feels fresh. And Wayne Cilento adds creative and stylish musical staging to the production.

The audience at the performance I attended was clearly spellbound, and there was an instant standing ovation at the beginning of the bows. The magic had been made.

Overall, it’s a very strong production and Las Vegans should run see this show before it’s six week run ends.

Photo by Joan Marcus

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What: “Wicked”

Where: Reynolds Hall, the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Oct. 7.

Tickets: $39-$150 (749-2000)

Grade: A-

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Las Vegas hits the trifecta of Pride Grand Marshals – Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin & Margaret Cho

To quote a line from one of my favorite off-Broadway shows Pageant – “more is better.”

Las Vegas – a city known to do things in the “bigger and better” category, will be welcoming not one, not two but three major LGBT icons as Grand Marshals for the Las Vegas Gay Pride Parade.

Joan Rivers, Margaret Cho, and Kathy Griffin have been announced as the Grand Marshals, and they’ll be performing in Las Vegas during the Pride festivities. 

In addition to seeing them at the start of the 2012 Las Vegas Gay Pride Parade Friday, September 7 at 7pm,  we’ll be able to see our favorite funny ladies in their own shows:

• Margaret Cho at the Terry Fator Theatre at the Mirage on Thursday, September 6th at 10pm

• Kathy Griffin at the Terry Fator Theatre at the Mirage on Saturday, September 8th at 10pm

• Joan Rivers will be at the Venetian on September 6-8, performing at 9:00pm

Las Vegas Pride President/ Parade Chairman Ernie Yuen says,“We are very excited and proud to host an amazing trio of beauty and talent; best of all they all make us laugh!”
 

Yuen says, “What a great way to start our spectacular event. This will be history making for us and I am sure the LGBT community will be out in full force to welcome these wonderful LGBT supporters.”

For more info about Las Vegas Gay Pride 2012, click here.

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Hospital tells lesbian domestic partners “you need medical power of attorney”

At Spring Valley Hospital, in Las Vegas, Nevada,  a lesbian couple – Brittney Leon and Terri-Ann Simonelli – was told at admissions that even though they had a legal domestic partnership, they would need a medical power of attorney for one gay partner to make decisions in the event of a crisis.

Brittney Leon was checking into the hospital for complications related to her pregnancy.  During the admittance, the admissions officer informed the couple that the hospital policy required gay couples to have a medical power of attorney.  Even though the couple offered to go home and get their certificate designating them as legal domestic partners, the admissions officer said that it wouldn’t matter – the policy was the policy.

In Nevada, the domestic partnership law passed in 2009 provides all the rights of married couples.

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

A woman who identified herself as public relations representative at Spring Valley Hospital told a Review-Journal reporter in a phone interview that the hospital policy requires gay couples have power of attorney in order to make medical decisions for each other .

When asked if she was aware of Nevada’s domestic partnership law, she accused the reporter of bias and hung up the telephone.

The domestic partnership law states: “Domestic partners have the same rights, protections and benefits, and are subject to the same responsibilities, obligations and duties under law, whether derived from statutes, administrative regulations, court rules, government policies, common law or any other provisions or sources of law, as are granted to and imposed upon spouses.”

What confuses me is no one has brought up that on April 15, 2010, the White House released a statement by Obama instructing his Health and Human Services secretary to draft rules requiring hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid payments to grant all patients the right to designate people who can visit and respect patients’ choices about who may make critical health-care decisions for them. That should have come into play here, domestic partnership or not, no?

The couple says they don’t intend to file a complaint or lawsuit against Spring Valley Hospital. But they do hope their problem will lead to more awareness of the domestic partnership law and for fair treatment of gay people.

Sadly, in the addition to the stress at admissions, Leon lost her baby.